Slovakians protest PM Fico over govt pro-Russia policy shift

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00:00There are thousands shouting slogans in the centre of Bratislava, sending a message to

00:06their Prime Minister Robert Fitzo, whose policies have been heavily criticised for being pro-Russian

00:12as he seeks closer ties with Moscow.

00:16The leftist Prime Minister's recent remarks on a foreign policy change, suggesting Slovakia's

00:21withdrawal from the EU and NATO, have angered many.

00:26The reason I came here is very simple. I want to live in Slovakia, which belongs to the

00:31European Union. I don't want to live in Russia.

00:34Though Robert Fitzo has denied making such comments, for some Slovakians the threat of

00:40a radicalisation of power seems palpable. Since he was elected for the fourth time in

00:45October 2023, Fitzo is one of the few European Union leaders who has drawn closer to the

00:51Kremlin, travelling to Moscow last December to meet with President Putin and halting military

00:57aid deliveries to Ukraine.

01:01The Slovak Prime Minister, who survived an assassination attempt in May 2024, has also

01:06accused opponents of preparing a coup in the country, in an increasingly tense political

01:11climate marked by weeks of anti-government protests, where many are calling on him to

01:17resign.

01:18Today, all free and peaceful, but the satisfied citizen must unite to ensure that we are not

01:25swallowed by a Russian-style dictatorship in the near future. Slovakia is Europe. Resign.

01:35This wave of rallies, which took place across 41 different locations in Slovakia, is the

01:41largest since the 2018 demonstrations, sparked by the murder of a journalist investigating

01:46corruption in the country. The ensuing political crisis ended with the collapse of Robert Fitzo's

01:52previous government.

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